Tulsa Health Department Prepared To Deal With Ebola Virus

The confirmed case of Ebola in Dallas is prompting local hospitals to review emergency procedures.

The Tulsa County Health Department is leading the effort to make sure people in our area are protected. They said if the deadly virus comes here, health care workers won't be caught off guard.

Nicole Schlaefli with the Tulsa County Health Department said the confirmed case of Ebola in Dallas has prompted it to take action.

The health department is being proactive by warning health care workers of their elevated risks.

9/30/2014 Related Story: Ebola Confirmed In Texas Patient; First Case Diagnosed In U.S.

"We have started to reach out to our hospitals, and our health care practitioners, and labs and things of that nature who are going to be handling those specimens if the Ebola does come to Tulsa County,” Schlaefli said.

She said since 9/11, the health department and hospitals have devised a contingency plan for widespread emergencies.

"Working on everything from biological responses, like the Ebola outbreak, all the way to chemical, radiological and nuclear, so every situation we have a plan of response to these events,” said Schlaefli.

Even if you traveled to Dallas and were exposed to Ebola, chances are you don't have it.

"Ebola is not something you get from somebody by just walking down the street. This is something that if you are a household contact you have more of a risk from getting it, if you're like an intimate partner contact you're at are at a higher risk so all of these contacts are measured,” Schlaefli said.

Despite the case in Texas, the greatest concern is for Oklahomans who have been on mission trips or vacationed in Africa, but for the average Tulsan it's a very small risk.

"At this point there is a very minimal risk, but we do want to stress that we are ready for this and have our plans and protocol in place and we are enacting them at this point, so if this does happen in Tulsa we will be ready for it,” Schlaefli said.

We asked several local hospitals for access to see isolation measures taken or the HAZMAT suits health officials may wear, but our requests were declined.